Background: The present work has been planned to find out the effect of Punica granatum and Rosuvastatin on learning and memory in Scopolamine induced cognitive deficits in rats. Scopolamine being an anticholinergic agent is used fervently in experimental models for memory deficits and has been widely implicated for the screening of cognitive dysfunction. Punica granatum (Pomegranate) has shown to suppress tumor neuronal cells, hence it can be a potential agent in providing neuroprotection for preventing the development and progression of AD. There are conflicting reports indicating the role of statins as a neuroprotective agent. This contradiction led us to investigate the effect of the role of Rosuvastatin on memory. The test agents were further compared to the standard treatment group acetylcholinesterase inhibitor i.e. Donepezil.Methods: Male wistar rats 150-200gms were divided into 4 groups of 6 rats each. Amnesia was induced by scopolamine 3mg/kg ip at day 5 in all the groups. Group1 (amnesic control) given distilled water; group 2(standard treatment i.e. Donepezil 0.5mg/kg orally); group 3(Rosuvastatin group10mg/kg orally); group 4 (Punica granatum juice 500mg/kg orally) The methods for validating cognition deficits were behavioural tests like Cook’s pole response and Passive Avoidance response.Results: It was evident from our research that the Punica granatum juice and Rosuvastatin effectively antagonized the scopolamine induced cognitive impairment in the paradigms studied. The neuroprotective effect of Punica granatum juice was better as compared to the Rosuvastatin group and the effects of the former were comparable with the standard treatment i.e. Donepezil group.Conclusions: Punica granatum has a remarkable protective role in memory function, learning, cognition and behavior in Scopolamine induced amnesia model of Alzheimer’s disease which was better than Rosuvastatin treatment.
Alzheimer’s disease is associated with progressive neurological and cognitive decline and is the commonest cause of dementia in 70% population globally. Several natural and synthetic agents are incessantly being explored as potential therapeutic targets for disease modification and treatment to reduce the suffering of the patients as well as to alleviate the huge financial burden on the healthcare system. Punica granatum contains polyphenols and flavonoids which are reported to offer neuroprotection. Statins on the other hand, serve as potent cholesterol lowering agents which target the pathophysiology of the disease. Twenty-four male wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of six rats each. They were fed high fat diet for two months.The rats in the respective groups were given Punica granatum juice, Rosuvastatin, standard treatment comprising of Donepezil and distilled water. The analysis was done at baseline and at the end of the study. Behavioral tests and histopathological analysis depicted marked improvement in cognitive and memory functions in Punica granatum group. Rosuvastatin group however showed improvement which was not as pronounced as achieved by the Punica granatum group. The present study was done to discern the effects of test agents such as Punica granatum and Rosuvastatin in memory deficits associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Marked improvement in dementia was observed in Punica granatum juice group in the High Fat Diet induced model of Alzheimer’s disease. Hence, Punica granatum offers significant neuroprotection as compared to the Rosuvastatin group and its potential can be explored in further studies to consolidate its role in amelioration of the disease progress and its treatment.
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